Knife clamp for wood planing heads

Abstract

A rotatable wood planing apparatus that includes a cylindrical planing knife body provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending, forwardly inclined, radially outwardly opening channels for holding knives. Parallel to each of the knife holding channels is an adjoining channel for holding a clamping means such as a gib for clamping said knives in the channels. The rear surfaces of the knife-holding channels and the forward surfaces of the knife-clamping channels are in planes that converge outwardly. A knife-holding clamp is provided to securely hold the knife in a desired position. The knives can accurately be fitted and secured into the clamps prior to insertion into the knife-holding channels. Means such as bolts or screws adjacent the rear of the knife-holding channels are provided for retaining the clamp and knife combination in the channel. A gib or wedge is fitted in the clamping channel to lock the clamps and knives in place upon elevation of the gib in its channel. The gib has an angled surface for engaging the knife clamp and urging it, as the gib is raised, toward the rearward surface of the channel. The knife-holding channel has a width sufficiently greater than that of the clamp to permit pivoting of the clamp away from the retaining means for removal of the clamp-knife combination from the channel when the gib is lowered.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Rotatable wood planing apparatus comprising: a cylindrical planing knife body having at least one longitudinal outwardly opening channel for holding a knife, said channel being forwardly inclined int he cutting direction,   a parallel longitudinally extending channel adjoining said knife-holding channel for holding a means for clamping said knife in said channel, the rear surface of said knife-holding channel and the forward surfaces of said knife-clamping channels being in planes that converge outwardly,   a knife held in a knife-holding clamp and fitted longitudinally in said knife-holding channel,   said knife-holding clamp comprising plates engaging the opposite sides of said knife to hold said knife therebetween and means to attach said plates to each other,   means on said planing knife holding body adjacent the rear of said channel for retaining said clamp and knife in said channel,   a gib fitting in said clamping channel and provided with means to adjustably elevate said gib toward the outside of said channel said give having a surface for engaging said knife clamp and urging it toward the rearward surface of said channel, as said gib is raised, another surface of the gib engaging a converging surface of said channel to secure the gib, clamp and knife therein when said gib is raised,   said knife-holding channel having a width sufficiently greater than that of said clamp to permit pivoting of said clamp away from said retaining means for removal of said clamp and knife from said channel when said gib is lowered.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the forward wall of the gib holding channel is in a plane perpendicular to that of the bottom of said channel, and the forward edge of said gib is perpendicular to the bottom thereof. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the cross-section of said gib is trapezoidal in shape with the rearward side thereof being angled forwardly. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said clamp comprises a first flat plate and a second L-shaped plate, said means to attache said plates together comprising a countersunk screw fitted into a countersunk hole in one of said plates and threaded into a tapped hole in the other of said plates. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said retaining means comprises a bolt threaded into a tapped hole in said body adjacent to said knife-holding channel. 
     
     
       6. Rotatable wood planing apparatus comprising: a cylindrical planing knife body having a plurality of longitudinally extending, forwardly inclined, radially outwardly opening channels for holding knives, and parallel longitudinally extending channels adjoining each of said knife-holding channels for holding a means for clamping said knives in said channels, the rear surfaces of said knife-holding channels and the forward surfaces of said knife-clamping channels being in planes that converge outwardly,   a knife adapted to be held in a knife-holding clamp and fitted longitudinally in said knife-holding channel,   said knife-holding clamp comprising plates adapted to engage the opposite sides of said knife to hold said knife therebetween and means to attache said plates to each other,   means on said planing knife holding body adjacent the rear of said channel for retaining said clamp and knife in said channel,   a gib fitting in said clamping channel provided with means to adjustably elevate said gib toward the outside of said cylindrical body, said gib having a surface for engaging said knife clamp and urging it, as said gib is raised, toward the rearward surface of said channel, another surface of the gib engaging a converging surface of said channel to secure the gib, clamp and knife therein when said gib is raised,   said knife-holding channel having a width sufficiently greater than that of said clamp to permit pivoting of said clamp away from said retaining means for removal of said clamp and knife from said channel when said gib is lowered.   
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said longitudinal channels are spaced around the perimeter of said body at equally spaced intervals. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the forward wall of the gib holding channel is in a plane perpendicular to that of the bottom of said channel, and the forward edge of said gib is perpendicular to the bottom thereof. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the cross-section of said gib is trapezoidal in shape with the rearward side thereof being angled forwardly. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said clamp comprises a first flat plate and a second L-shaped plate, said means to attache said plates together comprising a countersunk screw fitted into a countersunk hole in one of said plates and threaded into a tapped hole in the other of said plates. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said retaining means comprises a bolt threaded into a tapped hole in said body adjacent to said knife-holding channel.